The civil rights movement.

It was one of the biggest movements in American history, the movement that aimed for African-Americans obtaining the rights that the rest of the U.S. already citizens had. This movement spiked in activity around the 1950s and 60s.

A well-known event during this era was the Selma-to-Montgomery march. This march started on March 7^th, 1965, which is known as “Bloody Sunday” and went on until the 25^th.

This Tuesday, February 10, Freehold Township received a very interesting speaker, Mr. Don Olivaria. Don was a 15-year-old boy that resided in Brooklyn during the time of the march in 1965. He and his fellow marchers had to be trained to take a beating at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Harlem before they went down to the South on a freedom ride to march along with thousands of other non-violent protesters.

Mr. Olivaria explained to a captive audience about how rough and violent things were from the second he and his friends stepped off the busses. Even before they made it to Selma, Don faced many problems when they passed into the South. Thankfully he had his best friend Kenny, “a nutty little white boy,” with him to face these challenges.

Mr. Olivaria told the Freehold students about the horrors they faced while marching. One major setback that the marcher had to face were the deputized farmers. While the Alabama state police had regular batons, the county deputized local farmers, which was a scary thought. These farmers didn’t have to follow the police rules, so instead of batons, they carried hard wooden baseball bats and axe handles with barbed wire wrapped around it.

While the marchers, like Mr. Olivaria, wanted to fight back, Martin Luther King, Jr, advised them against retaliating to avoid stooping to the same low level as the corrupt police forces. “I will hurt you if you hurt me,” Mr. Olivaria told the students on what he said to his friends, stating that he was brought up to fight back, not take a beating.

While Mr. Olivaria wanted to fight back, he took Dr. King’s advice to “keep your hands to your side and keep your fists open,” and did not fight force with force. Even with all the beatings, the marchers walked the 50 miles from Selma to Montgomery and set an example that was heard all over the nation.

While Mr. Olivaria made it back in almost one piece, his best friend Kenny sadly “went home in a box,” as Mr. Olivaria recalled with heartbreak.

After these marches, Mr. Olivaria went on and became more involved with the civil rights movement. He helped organize marches and demonstrations with MLK and fellow supporters. He also took MLK’s advice to heart; he did not fight force with force but with brains.

Mr. Olivaria returned to the South after the marches to attend Jackson State University and graduated with honors. Mr. Olivaria faced many perils and still marched with all his might for his people and for the true freedom of the nation.